As we discussed last week, Amy Adams covers the new issue of British GQ, and it’s a doozy of an interview, which is rare for Amy. I like Amy a lot, and she seems like a genuinely nice, hard-working and “normal” person for Hollywood (or anywhere else). But in nearly every interview, she comes across as cautious and a bit boring. Not this GQ profile though. Which makes me wonder… she obviously thought a lot about what she wanted to say about David O. Russell, and she was obviously prepared to discuss the situation in detail and frankly burn that bridge entirely. It’s a calculated choice, and one I respect her for making. She’s more than two years removed from everything that went down on the American Hustle set, and as we know, she was not happy on-set. In the early excerpts that we covered last week, Amy talked about how awful DOR was on set, how he yelled at her and how basically every terrible story we’ve heard about him is true. Well, I had the chance to read the full GQ profile, and I thought it was worth discussing the entire DOR portion. Note: I made some minor edits, like taking out the quote about Jennifer Lawrence-is-Teflon, which we already heard. Here you go:
By all accounts, Russell’s behavior on set was horrendous. He’d always had a reputation – he notoriously got into a fist fight with George Clooney during the shoot for Three Kings in 1999, with Clooney vowing to never work with the director again – but it was assumed he’d changed.
One of the leaked Sony emails – from journalist Jonathan Alter to his brother-in-law Sony CEO Michael Lynton – would prove otherwise. Alter said Russell “so abused” Adams on the set of American Hustle that Christian Bale had to step in to defend her. “His abuse and lunatic behavior are extreme even by Hollywood standards,” wrote Alter.
Was this true? In a word: yes. Working with Russell was always kind of crazy, she says. On The Fighter, there was a lot of improv and energy, but this was something else.
“Even I was surprised on American Hustle, because on Silver Linings Playbook he had developed this wild, crazy way of working with Bradley and Jennifer… and it was mania. I was like: wow.”
He would talk and shout through every scene, screaming instructions at people while they worked. “I did a scene with Bradley where I have to hit him and he’s yelling at me, ‘Hit him! Hit Him! Hit him! Hit him! HARDER! HARDER! HARDER! Really give it to him this time!”
Is it true he made her cry? “He did. He was hard on me, that’s for sure. It was a lot.” Most days, she says, “I was really just devastated on set,” and most days she returned home devastated too. “I mean, not every day, but most.”
I begin to say you could argue that if the film is a success… then the method is…
“No,” she cuts in. “It’s not OK with me. Life to me is more important than movies.”
She wouldn’t, she says, want to work with David O. Russell again – at least not any time soon.
“Not in the near future, no. I’ll never say never, but with my daughter being where she’s at, unless the role is less damaged and there’s a way to mitigate the insanity then probably not. I just want to be a good mom, you know?”
[Transcribed from the print edition of British GQ via scans]
Even in this day and age of professional gossiping, hacked emails and oversharing celebrities, this is rare. It’s rare to see an actor or actress in their prime totally burn a professional bridge with an interview. But I’m glad that she did. I feel like she’s probably needed two years to recover from the David O. Russell experience, and that she had to talk herself into actually speaking up. It will be interesting to see who has her back in the coming months. Will J-Law stick up for Adams or Russell? Will Christian Bale back her up?
Also, it’s worth noting that David O. Russell has nothing lined up after Joy underperformed critically and financially. Even after all of the stories that the industry knew about internally, they still gave him $60 million-plus to make Joy, and it basically just broke even. Does anyone want to work with him again?
Photos courtesy of WENN, GQ UK.
wow. major respect to Amy Adams. That’s all I’ve got. Just, genuinely, respect to her.
I’m really happy to see this site giving this issue so much coverage. So many other media outlets zeroed in on the pay gap soundbites and, while they were also good, this is a way bigger deal. She’s flagging harassment and abuse which is a really hard thing to do. She’s taking a huge risk here by being honest. The pay gap is a symptom of a larger problem in Hollywood and women being told to shut up and take it is the larger problem. I just really commend her.
Agreed! Although I don’t think DOR is gender specific in his abuse. In fact I believe Lawrence pointed out that he treated her exactly the same way he treated the men.
It’s not much of a risk when it’s taken in the middle of an accelerating pile-on.
Absolutely. This takes serious, genuine courage. I love JLaw, but if talking about Hollywoood sexism in the abstract is risky, then naming a major Hollywood director as abusive in public takes ovaries of solid titanium.
When will people realize you don’t have to be a tortured jerk to create art. Some tortured jerks happened to create beautiful art, but it’s not a necessary condition.
+1
Well, I would hesitate to call his movies “art”.
i dont think all the people who enable him think that way, they just dont care that he is an abuser as long as money and awards come in.
I was just thinking this as well. In addition, I would like to mention that ALL other industries pretty much have HR departments and this type of abusive behavior would never fly! If a manager screamed at me daily in front of other people I would go to HR immediately and that manager would face consequences. I don’t understand how holly-weird gets an exception from this.
It’s not okay to verbally/emotionally/physically/sexually abuse your employees. Ever.
Depressingly, this isn’t uncommon in the catering industry, and I know quite a few people who have had similar experiences in very conventional workplaces.
same
This just makes me love Amy that much more (if that’s even possible).
She’s a class act – the consummate professional, such a reliable performer.
She’s not mud-slinging, or throwing insults around about DOR. All she needs to do is let his terrible actions speak for themself and supply him with enough rope for him to make a colossal mess of things.
What goes around comes around (I hope, at least.)
I can’t believe how much guts it must take to be so open about how she was treated. Especially since two years isn’t a particularly long time in the grand scheme of things.
I’m interested to see how and if he responds, and if JLaw says anything to defend him. I bet she does.
Good for her. Workplace bullying is workplace bullying, whether it’s on a set, in an office, on a factory line or in a restaurant kitchen.
Totally agree. Good for her.
+1 it absolutely is the worst kind of bullying . Shame on him and on the producers for allowing it to go on.
Good for her – breaking the code of silence. This will probably hurt her career in other ways so good for her.
Couldn’t agree more – been bullied at work and it’s no joke, especially when you’re the worker and the bully is the rainmaker and YOU have to leave. Suffice it to say, the wheel does turn….
+1 CP, +1. Mine was a manager who sucked up and screwed down and just keeps getting promoted. While there’s a lot about the job I miss, that’s one aspect I don’t!
I work in live sports broadcasting. The bullying from directors and producers at a national level can be astonishing. The verbal abuse, tantrums, etc. are not as common as they once were, but are still there and tolerated if the show looks good. As a freelancer, I’m free to not work with those people, but it’s a career killer if you turn down too many shows due to exposure and money loss. Somehow this is still tolerated in the entertainment industry, but slowly the backlash is coming for those egomaniacal asshats.
I get what she’s saying about her daughter, but I hope she refuses to work for him again for her own sake too. He’s abusive, and no one should have to put up with that. She certainly doesn’t need him.
Russell is a huge, huge jerk, has always been, will always be. There are many things that make J. Lawrence unlikable in my books, but her non-stop gushing about Russell takes the cake. And I am really happy Amy put it out there.
This is all no shock to me as I have thought Russell was trash for years. I have to be honest that this all makes me think less of Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper who continued on to work with Russell in Joy and particularly Lawrence and her public gushing support of him. (I’ll give DeNiro a temporary pass since he wasn’t present for this AH behaviour).
I think we need to remember Lawrence’s age and gender here. I work in a totally different field, academic science, but we have our own “celebrities” and “geniuses” in our world that are allowed to be abusive jerks towards students, other subordinates and peers because “genius.” There’s a culture of turning a blind to it and of praising people who are “tough” enough to put up with it for the so called brilliance and opportunity to be near it. This has come in mental, emotional and even sexual forms and only recently are people saying enough about the latter. Still nothing is said about the first two. It’s very, very common for younger people to be praised in their circles for taking the emotional abuse for the academic accolades. I’d imagine it’s a similar feeling for JLaw and I don’t think it’s fair to use her as someone who should be saying no when she’s been surrounded by so many older, respected actors saying yes and getting praise for her work with him.
Ok Paleokifaru, lets back off Lawrence and look at Bradley Cooper. He is a middle aged man and a producer on AH, so as well as having the age and stature to stand up to DOR he also has the responsibility to those people working for him.
Oh I agree. But even more so I think people like Dinero should be questioned. He’s got the clout for it to mean something.
@Mia4s
I completely disagree with you on that.I am willing to give Lawrence a pass due to age and inexperience. Look at all the young women who worked with someone like Dr. Luke for instance they are now coming out of the wood work saying hes not a good person. But these middle aged guys? Even bale (though he defended amy) he has worked with DOR repeatedly. They are all middle aged men with decades of experience in the business.
I don’t give JLaw a pass on this. Her age?? She’s not a child, she’s in her mid-20s, an age where many women are already mothers and other women have been in the military for 7 years!!! Why do people continually defend her, calling her “young,” and “incapable”? My son is her age, and he is an adult: he doesn’t wear clothes with PERV on them, he doesn’t pee in sinks and he would speak up against an abusive jerk. That much I am 100% certain of, as would my 21 year old daughter. Please. She doesn’t speak out because she gets good career opportunities from DOR. She’s only worried about JLaw. Period.
Her endorsement of him .. bringing him as her plus 1 gushing about him to the press way more than she needs to gets on my nerves. It is almost like they are trying to compensate.
Her support of him actually has me concerned for her. In my experience people who have been victims of abuse tend to be drawn to abusers over and over. I think that’s what’s going on with her. Notwithstanding her celebrity, boisterous personality and perceived power, she is a very young woman in a meat grinder of an industry and she is extremely vulnerable. Some of the strongest women I know tolerated the worst of the abuse because they had the strength to endure it and didn’t know how/when to ask for help.
This is a sad and scary comment, and I too think it could be a survival technique to placate the monster.
Yeah- her comments about him are concerning to me as well, especially since she has repeatedly said that she owes her career to him (which isn’t true- she had an Oscar nomination for Winter’s Bone AND had gotten X-Men and Hunger Games before she auditioned for David O. Russell); it makes me concerned that she has somehow internalized that she “owes” him and therefore his treatment of her is justified.
thank you for mentioning lawrence. i wonder, too.
Somebody mentioned above abuse victims being drawn to abusers, but what if Lawrence actually had no problems with O. Russell? I know it’s hard to believe given his history, but maybe she was really lucky and Amy Adams got all the hate?
They got into a fight on Joy which tells me he moved from Amy to Jen
This! DOR adores JLaw. He may have given her some grief filming Joy, but I’m willing to bet it was nothing compared to how he treated Amy simply because I get the impression, he isn’t impressed with Amy…at all. I doubt he’d ever verbally abuse DeNiro because he respects him. I doubt he was verbally abusive with BCoop because most bullies know who they can and cannot get away with it with. He picked on Amy because she bugs him and she’s safe to bully. Bullies always know how to pick their targets.
But JenniferJustice, he picked on LillyTomlinson whi is not one to pull punches and George Clooney at the peak of his stardom. He is not your standard bully. Didnt he try to choke some director, I wanna say Christopher Nolan, over “stealing” a cast member? Its maybe not so much about seeking out easy victims as it is about being a psycho.
But look at all the actresses who praise Alfred Hitcock even after he literally terrorized them maliciously and Hollywood who continue to praise him. And now people like Alejandro Iñárritu who was given an award for making his actor who through simply unreasonable and miserable conditions for a shot. Mr. Dragon Tattoo and Ronney Mara. It’s endemic in Hollywood and praised as long as you get awards and make people money.
It’s interesting–I just recently took a seminar on creating a respectful workplace environment, and one of the things the instructor noted is that just as there are people who take offense at everything, there are people who take offense at almost nothing. You can insult them directly, and they’ll just laugh at themselves along with you.
Jennifer Lawrence does seem like the sort who wouldn’t take offense to much, and Amy Adams notes in the interview that for Silver Linings Playbook, David O Russell wasn’t as intolerable. He was still shouting, but not in a way that you could take offense to. American Hustle was different.
So maybe Lawrence both hasn’t had a universally bad experience with Russell, and at the same time, isn’t the sort to take offense easily to things she maybe should be taking offense to.
There was some big blow-up between DOR & JLaw a couple of years ago. One or the other of them said, in effect, they’d never work together again. I remember speculation at the time that JLaw was killing her career & wouldn’t gt any more jobs. I too was surprised when they showed up together at an event some time later.
I really dislike the fact that you call abuse “take offense at everything”, it doesn’t seems appropriate for the situation
I give Amy Adams major props for speaking up about this. It would be nice to see some of her cast mates back her up, but I am not holding my breath for that to happen. Especially J Law, who I think would defend him. No one needs to work with anyone who treats them that bad.
She does not need David O’ Russell to have a great career. Wasn’t he the one that also had the screaming match with Lily Tomlin? The story with Clooney is legendary and considering that when Three Kings was being filmed, Clooney was still doing ER and was not the power player he would become and he’s never really shied away from speaking about his problems with DOR.
Christian Bale has been gloriously outspoken recently about Batman, so here’s praying that he opens up about this and that he stands by Amy. My only problem with her statement is that she says “not in the near future.” Wish she’d said “not in the foreseeable or even imaginable future.” No more hedging. Put O. Russell out if our misery, Ames!
-TheRealPinky
Would Christian Bale’s Support mean anything though? Isn’t this the same guy who verbally abused a DP on set for 4 minutes on during the terminator shoot? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0auwpvAU2YA
@Jess: Bale is the one and only person on AH set who said to DOR to stop acting like an asshole .
Yes that was my only disappointment Pinky.
Near future sounds like she might still consider and considering how badly Joy did it’s not shocking to imagine he’ll be on the warpath in the next few movies he makes. Best to avoid him completely.
@Jess Yes he was, but he was also kind of absolutely right with what he was saying. He is an actor, who has to get in an emotional place in his head and concentrate to give a good performance. The DP was walking around fixing lights during an actual TAKE! When there should be quiet and absolutely NO movement on set. You do that adjusting once the director cuts, not before. It’s a stressful thing sometimes being an actor, and when others are not respectful of the job you’re doing, it’s upsetting.
David O Rissell shouting at actors while they are in the middle of giving their performance just proves he’s a terrible director who doesn’t know what he’s doing. Give notes after you cut. Work them up before you yell “Action.” When the camera’s rolling, shut up! That goes for everyone but the performers on screen!
Anyway, I thought Bale’s rant was one of the funnier things to come out of Hollywood that year.
-TheRealPinky
The Christian Bale re-mixes were pretty awesome in terms of hilarity.
Bale also sincerely apologized for that blowup, and hasn’t done anything like that ever again. Every comment I’ve seen about working with him since has been positive.
DOR doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with behaving the way he does, since he continues to do it on every set.
Even if somebody was “ruining” the shot, it would be the directors role to communicate that anyway. Screaming at a colleague and in the presence of co-workers too, is unacceptable under any circumstance. And I’m not convinced it was the only time nor that he was sorry. His tape become international news, of course he said sowwy, what did you expect he would do? In any case, this great “thespian” was having trouble getting into character for a Terminator movie? Good gawd. I just cant abide workplace aholes.
People on set (crew not actors) defended Bale even and said the staffer was deliberately doing things like that and he’d been told already to stop. It didn’t happen one time and Bale blew up.
@Jess That was leaked deliberately to promote the movie. Which did absymally anyway.
I do wish people would stop saying “where she’s at.” It sounds so uneducated. Hardly the point, I know.
I mean, Jennifer will probably keep working with him… But good for Amy to know her sanity is more important that his “art”.
I don’t think Amy Adams needs or wants someone to back up her words. The reputation she has recommends her as someone that does not play with words or professional relationships.
After two years from the collaboration, she gave some serious thought to what she’s saying and she, obviously, decided to be done with O’Russell.
I would be curious indeed to know what Bale, Lawrence, Cooper and Renner think about the new development. But whatever they’ll say (if they say anything at all) will not constitute a back-up to Amy’s words.
Bale yet talked about DOR’s erratic behavior during AH promotion and according to Ann Thompson ( a movie journalist),Bale and Lawrence didn’t want to work with DOR anymore after AH .Only JLaw changed her mind after her Oscar nod
I think she was done with him the day that filming ended, and she’s only talking about it because someone spilled the beans about the on set abuse.
Adams and Renner will be doing press together on a film in the fall, that will be the time to really ask some questions, I can’t see them allowing anything too controversial on The B v S and Civil War press tours. I think Renner will back Adams, if not by directly criticizing O’Russell then by gushing about her and how wonderful it was to work in the caring and supportive atmosphere on a Denis Villeneuve film. The two of them had very little screen time in AH and I somehow think that O’Russell was probably a bit calmer directing the Renner-Bale scenes, although Renner did seem a bit bemused when he talked about working with O’Russell during AH press, although that might be because his first child was born during filming and he was probabaly a bit distracted. Also notable on the AH press tour was that Bale was hardly there, Renner and Adams seemed to have a developed a warm and close friendship and Cooper, O’Russell and Lawrence were another tight group. I personally think Bale wants nothing more to do with DOR and even if he doesn’t say anything he will make his feelings clear.
Does anyone want to work with him again? Don’t worry Kaiser, JLaw declared she will work with him till eternity.
Seriously though, why gush over a bully?
Oscar nominations?
J. Law would sell her soul to have the acclaim and the success. She did it with Harvey Weinstein and DOR. She will do it again, as long as she’s on top. I’m not saying there’s no talent behind the machine, because there obviously is. But Jennifer is contrived in personality and very calculated when it comes to her success. Whereas Amy is one of the best actresses out there, and let’s her talent speak for itself.
” J. Law would sell her soul to have the acclaim and the success.”
Wow, just wow. Seriously? How surprising that someone brings up Harvey Weinstein when they want to discredit an actress and make a sexist accusation. It’s such a lame and lazy argument at this point. Tell me, where was Harvey or DOR when she got her first oscar nom for Winter’s Bone? Please explain.
& and honey, you don’t need to tear down one actress to compliment another. They’re both talented.
Would you say the same for DiCaprio, working with Inarritu (a famous bully on set)? Bear in mind also that Adams worked with DOR on two films after his reputation as a bully was firmly established with the Tomlin incident. I’m not criticising Amy, who I think is fabulous. But I think to single out Lawrence as being particularly ‘contrived’ and career-focused is unfair.
People love to tear down Jlaw for literally anything. No surprise here
I think people are harder on JLaw because she brings DOR to award shows and says she wants to be burried next to him.
Having said that, I don’t mind her actions that much ( and I usually can not stand her). If I was in her place, I would have a problem if he was abusive to the crew and people around me, but I think I could deal with him yelling at me if it was benefical to my career in such a huge way the way it has been for her.
I love how if you say anything bad about Jennifer Lawrence people immediately come after you and try to discredit your opinion. She was great in Winter’s Bone. That was her raw talent and there was no try-hard in that performance. IMO she deserved the Oscar for that performance. But that’s not her MO anymore. She locked in two major franchises, became the biggest actress in the world, started only choosing work that would keep her there. All of her performances in DOR movies are the same. It’s the same with her public persona… So. Much. Try-hard. She’s talented enough where she doesn’t need to do that. Any of it. She’s very driven, which is not a bad thing. But she plays the Hollywood game better than anyone.
And, I actually think Leonardo DiCaprio is worse. He’s had a certain facade going for decades.
@jess the reality is JLaw was all over Harvey she went so over the top that many, myself included assume she was a Harvey girl. This year she did it with Russel talking about how she wants to be buried next to him.
She will trash Amy and praise Russel if she has to or is asked. lets be real.
@K
No, the reality is that anytime a woman has any contact with Harvey, she is IMMEDIATELY slut shamed and called a “Harvey girl” without any sort of evidence or actual facts. Tell me, is Michelle Obama a “Harvey Girl” for calling him “a wonderful human being, a good friend and just a powerhouse”? http://variety.com/2013/biz/news/michelle-obama-harvey-weinstein-mandela-1200809689/
Is she now tarnished? Do we now attribute her entire political career to Harvey since he donated money to their campaign? Do you think less of her now even though Michelle was just playing the game in order to earn their support?
Oh my goodness, Jess. No one is slut shaming Jennifer. I am not saying she did anything inappropriate with him or anyone else (although there are strong rumors that some of her nudes are indeed on the casting couch). There is a pattern to her behavior. She aligns herself strongly and borderline obsessively with men that will get her what she wants in the industry. That’s pretty well known, even outside of Hollywood. She’s extremely savvy, but she goes over the top when it comes to a lot of things, including her love for known d-bags. It is what it is. No one is trying to negate her talent. But her reputation has been tarnished. She has said quite a few problematic things. None of it has hurt her in the business, she’s still #1 for now. It’s insane to think she doesn’t hustle. She does better than any of them.
“Tell me, is Michelle Obama a “Harvey Girl” for calling him “a wonderful human being, a good friend and just a powerhouse”?”
She’s not a “Harvey Girl”, but it does speak to her lack of character kissing up to a guy who has such a lousy reputation when it comes to women.
See my comment above. It’s not uncommon in certain circles for young people to feel pressured into being “tough” in the face of abuse.
If you follow JLaw’s public self she is the ultimate Cool Girl. Her forte was selling the fact that she is just like one of the guys and is tough because she had 2 brothers but she is also very much gorgeous. I believe it has changed a lot recently and maybe she will step up to defend Amy Adams in current years but I feel being emotional or crying is something she sees as weak and not something she can be.
What? When her nude photo leak happened, she said that she was really emotional and cried everytime she tried to write a public statement about what happened.
As i said. Recently she has changed her public stance.
I’m really saddened to hear that DOR is still a jerk. Some of his movies are my all-time favorites like “Flirting with Disaster.” I thought he might have taken meds or something after his “Three Kings” project but I guess not. Kudos for Amy for speaking out.
Good for her.
I’ve loved Amy since The Office, it’s been so nice to see her career really blossom.
Good for her for speaking up. I hope that’s true about Bale stepping in, I know he has a reputation of being a dick, but I really do think he’s got good intentions. BCoop and JLaw would never jeopardize their positions with DOR, I guess all those Oscar noms are more important than doing the right thing. (Or maybe they just enjoy working in a manic way that Amy doesn’t)
Fairly sure Jennifer Lawrence just enjoys working with DOR in that “manic way” as you put it.
and DOR is a massive dick but I have to admit he is a talented director. If I was an actress and someone like David O. developed material tailored to my abilities, I would probably work him as well. He’s definitely a jerk but he’s no Woody Allen or Roman Polanski (which is an entirely different story).
plus, Martin had Leo & Cassavettes had Rowland so I see no reason why David O having a muse in Lawrence is a bad thing for her career.
Saying that atleast he does not sexually abuse people ala Romanski or Allen is why he keeps getting away with this stuff. He is still abusive and an absolute turd. He is also definitely not one of the great directors. JLaw would get a Oscar nomination if she worked with Micheal Bay she is that good and popular.
“He’s definitely a jerk but he’s no Woody Allen or Roman Polanski (which is an entirely different story).”
His niece would disagree with you.
The Office…?
An I missing something? If she was ever on that show, she was already a movie star making a guest appearance, right…?
She played a purse saleswoman who Jim dared during his get-over-Pam phase. I think she was even on the cruise where PJ shared their first kiss?
Amy was not a movie star. She’d been in movies, yeah, but wasn’t the household name she is now. One could argue she still is not a movie star to the extent that we label others as one. She’s a hard-working actress, consummate professional, and five-time Oscar nominee. She’s not box office yet. But she’s the actress who will go give you the performance you wanted, probably exceed it, so they should try to make her happen finally.
-TheRealPinky
Yeah, I first discovered her on Drop Dead Gorgeous.
It sounds like she had two different experiences with him and if she could repeat the first, she’d work with him again. But if it was like the second, she wouldn’t.
I think he was on better behavior during the FIghter – his career had stalled a bit after the blowups with Clooney and other actors, and he was trying to redeem himself with the Fighter. It didn’t last long, apparently.
That’s what I wondered. She and Bale were in The Fighter. It was obviously two entirely different experiences.
This was a major risk for her. She risked relationships with studios that still want to work with him. I’m both stunned and impressed.
She’s publicly calling out harassment in the workplace and she’s now put everyone else who continues to work with him on notice bc she spoke up. God I love her.
It’s great to see an actor speak up, especially a woman. I have to say though, it’s not fair to expect Jennifer Lawrence to comment on this. DOR might be a massive jerk but there is always that one person who can handle the jerk. My boss is great, I like him as a boss and as a person and we just get along really well. But I’ve heard stories about my predecessors and man, he’s made some people cry and/or quit. I know the behavior that led to these things but I’m just not that fazed by it. There are other types of behavior that are deal breakers to me so I guess we’re just lucky that our personalities fit. Yelling, for example, doesn’t get to me (my boss doesn’t yell but I’ve been yelled at by bosses before).
Lawrence could stop gushing about him and support Adams by simply stating that yes, this happened but she had a different experience. You don’t need to gush about the boss when you see he’s abusing other people.
Except by pretending that he’s just a “jerk” and that JLaw can just “handle” him it mitigates the serious nature of the abuse. The kind of relationship that Jennifer has with DOR has all the signs of an abuser who has convinced the other person that they are doing it out of love. Jennifer has said openly that he “forgets that she’s a woman.” This is not healthy. DOR is not just a jerk..he’s a man with a long history of actual abuse. He’s also been accused of sexual assault. Are we seeing the pattern here? I’m not mad at JLaw but I do think she is just as much a victim of abuse as Amy is and she may just really not know it.
This. And as I said above you really can be conditioned by certain work cultures to think it’s good if you can take the abuse.
She also took all the blame for the fights that happened on Joy when clearly all reports said otherwise.
Exactly. JLaw is as much as a victim as Amy is here. She takes the blame for his blow ups and all her gushing over him happens during press time. He constantly belittles her other works (comparing her work on THG to slavery…an experience Jlaw has said repeatedly she LOVES) and basically makes it seem like he OWNS her success when in reality DOR NEEDS her. She was on the rise before him and she will do fine without him. Hopefully now that Joy is done she can distance herself as well
Except you weren’t there. None of us were. So we don’t know how “serious” the nature of the abuse was. And to imply that you know better than Jennifer Lawrence which type of behavior is too much for her is rather arrogant. I think the word abuse gets thrown around a lot and yes, if he made Amy Adams cry nearly every day, it’s pretty clear that something f*cked up was going on. I’m not mitigating anything, I’m simply saying that expecting Jennifer to comment on this is not fair. Some people just handle – yes, handle – things differently. It might not have affected her the same way it affected Amy Adams. That’s not a judgment on DOR’s behavior.
@paleokifaru: Again with the abuse. Not every uncomfortable work situation is abuse, not every a**hole boss is an abuser. And frankly, yes, sometimes you just have to suck it up. Up to a certain point. But it’s really difficult to draw the line for others. I roll my eyes at things that have had colleagues in tears and then other times, I immediately tell colleagues or even my boss to NOT speak to me like that again etc.
@Littlemissnaughty if you’re in a position of power and verbally berating a subordinate on a regular basis then yeah that’s abuse. There’s a big difference between dealing with a different personality and having to work for someone who gets in fistfights, screams constantly and makes it known that you will be blackballed if you speak out against them. It’s not a term I use lightly. It’s also not a term I felt comfortable using when I was younger and was put in those situations. But with distance and age I have come to see that you don’t have to handle power that way and you don’t have to take the behavior either. Are there some people who are extremely sensitive? Yes. Are there some people who are always victims? Yes. But I think if your peer, Bale, is stepping in then that’s not just a bad boss with a different style.
@littlemissnaughty, did you see the tape with DOR and Lily Tomlin??? I don’t know how anyone who has seen that can call the way he acts anything other than abusive?? And Tomlin stayed calm and didn’t get upset. I imagine if you get upset, he would get worse.
@paleokifaru: Except we’re talking about highly successful actors here, not someone who depends on that job to pay rent. Let’s not pretend that Amy Adams didn’t have choices or that these women aren’t able to defend themselves. You make it sound like DOR held her professional life in his hands. He did not. Lawrence yelled back, Adams cried. I’m not saying that’s not a valid response. But at some point in your professional life, you simply need to stand up for yourself. Especially if you can. Again, she’s not a single mother of 3 working at Starbucks.
It’s clear that DOR was a bully to Amy and others. It’s also clear that there are many others like him in Hollywood: DOR has been singled out as a particular problem, but Inarritu has just won two Best Director Oscars back to back and his reputation is also very bad. There is obviously a culture problem there that needs urgently to change, and well done to Amy for speaking out on this.
Having said that, from personal experience, I can see why actors like Cooper and Lawrence keep coming back for more. In my first job, I had a boss who could be highly obnoxious, and even a bully at times. He was also brilliant, and could be incredibly warm and supportive in the right circumstances – above and beyond what was normal. Some of my colleagues hated him, and left as soon as they could. I thrived: he made me better at my job (trial litigation) than I would have ever been without him, and his outbursts for whatever reason didn’t affect me as much as they affected others. I would still describe him as a bully, speaking objectively: but I’m also very grateful to him for how he made me better at my chosen (and highly competitive) profession, and the way in which he went out of his way at times to help me even after I had left that particular firm.
So I guess that I fully see Amy’s perspective, and admire her 100% for speaking out – but I’m slow to condemn others who might have a different relationship with DOR. (And I suspect that people who claim that Cooper, J-Law, Elizabeth Rohm and others who keep coming back to DOR only do it for the sake of Oscar nods are off the mark.)
Kaiser, I am so glad you came back to this story. I read the whole article a couple of days ago and I felt exactly the same way about it as you. I trust Amy Adams, I believe everything she is saying and I believe she is making it public for the right reasons, not because she wants to score political points or gain publicity. I particularly like how she shut down the journalist when he tried to excuse O’Russell’s behavior. Film crews adore Adams and this is her standing up for them as much as anyone else. Maybe this will be the end of the Emperor’s clothing perspective that Hollywood seems to have when it comes to O’Russell. I think a lot less of Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence for the way they support and enable him. It will be very interesting if people take sides though, a powerful but unpleasant man up against probably the most loved and unassuming woman in the industry.
I love Amy and I’m so glad that she’ speaking up now that she’s feels ready and removed from the situation. It’s brave of her to burn that bridge, but unfortunately I don’t see DOR disappearing from Hollywood anytime soon. Being an abusive prick isn’t enough to get kicked out in Hollywood and for some weird reason the Academy loves him.
JLaw and any other actor desperate enough to take the abuse for a chance at an Oscar nomination will work with DOR. He is seriously overrated. I could not sit through American Hustle or Joy. Silver Linings Playbook was alright but was not Oscar worthy in my opinion. Since JLaw is “teflon”, I think she will continue to work with DOR until someday he finally crosses the line with her in some huge and epic way.
Jennifer is also young right now. Wait until she too turns 35 or 40 and isn’t the “youngest hottest” star anymore. A lot changes in the way women are treated as they age.
I think Jen is safely out of that slump. She is too big to face that and will work all her life comfortably if not at this level of fame.
I agree with Kate. There have been so many A-list stars that have faded away as they age. Maybe they are still A-list but they are no longer in demand like they were in their 20s. There is a problem when a person peaks at too young an age. I always thought it benefitted Leonardo DiCaprio that he did not win an Oscar until this year. It motivated him to churn out great performances and build up his resume for 20 years until he reached the pinnacle of his career. The opposite is happening with JLaw, and with her strong personality, I can see that really grating on people as she becomes older and people don’t find her to be as cute or endearing anymore.
I think she will keep working with him until the oscar nominations start drying up.
+100
It seems like has mental problems that are just aided along by people in the industry.
I think this was a good interview for her — every point she made was right on.
Firstly, I hope Nocturnal Animals and Tom Ford get her the major Oscar push this year.
Secondly, DOR is trash. If he was actually a great director and made great movies he should still have been blacklisted cos making movies is no huge deal. Considering he is an above average director at the very best and made forgettable movies for most part please do away with him.
Also I know he and Jen are intricately connected now that Jen wants to be buried next to him but i hope she realizes soon she does not need this sexually abusing sprouted potato in her life. She means way more to Hollywood than DOR could even hope to be.
I am glad Amy is saying it and if people who are abused in Hollywood had the means to come clean maybe Hollywood could have been cleaner.
I second everything you said.
I am SO excited to see her in the new Tom Ford film. I am SO excited that she is working with such top tier talent. She is truly one of our greatest actors.
I love JLaw but I side eye for saying that she thinks David treats her like a man which in some illogical way means she has earned more respect from him… than if he treated her like she should be treated…. like a fking human being?
No one should work with him ever. We all know Jennifer Lawrence will, but scum attracts scum. She’s a jerk, too.
Calling Lawrence ‘scum’ is simply ridiculous. Have you not bothered reading any of the really intelligent posts on this thread?
I’m repeating my last comment on this situation, because I think it’s still true.
I think what people aren’t realizing is that Jlaw was 20/21 when she started working with DOR–in 2011. Won her Oscar the next year. Now she’s 25. He didn’t start out being an abusive jackass. He was on his best behavior, because his abusive jackass behavior sank his career for many years. He was on his best behavior for SLP.
Then he wants her for AH. Acts like an abusive jackass to Amy on AH. Her role is supposed to be a cameo. But then he rewrites/reworks the whole movie to give her more lines, more time, and more of an impact on the film. And she’s what? 23?
And now she’s his muse, his ingenue, and they’re both getting accolades, and JLaw KNOWS she’s got until she hits somewhere around 30, before they replace her with some other blonde ingenue. So she sucks it up. And these are the same people who won’t pay her according to her status, but will rework an entire press campaign around her name/image. That tells you right there how much power she has.
Joy happens. And we all know what happened there. She’s working on a film that’s supposed to get her accolades and critical acclaim…….and the director screams and verbally abuses her–and God knows what else. No one else is talking. And she denies it. What would you expect? “Oh yea, DOR is a massive asshole who screams and throws tantrums like a two year, come see my movie with him!” No. That’s not how it works in the real world.
The real onus is on the people who keep hiring DOR. And the fact that people keep focusing on JLaw, because they don’t like her, is a huge problem. Just like when someone, a year or so ago, made a comment that JLaw must give Weinstein BJ’s because of how many awards she’s been nominated for–hardly anyone condemned Weinstein for putting an actress in that position, IF TRUE, etc…..all the blame is put on the victim.
And I completely get it with JLaw. A few years ago, I spent about a year taking care of my grandma. Living in her house for half the week, etc, doing everything–because no one else would….because she’s a mean alcoholic who spent the majority of the time either criticizing my cleaning abilities, wanting me to do stuff when SHE wanted me to do it (like not being able to clean anything heavy duty after 12 am, etc), and wanting every disagreement (no matter how minor) to end with me being wrong.
For example: She mentioned something about Casey Kasem i.e. the guy whose family was fighting over his body. When I said this, she freaked out and basically said no, I was wrong because Casey was so great, which means his family must be so great, which means they’re not fighting over anything and YOU’RE WRONG. It was a throw away comment that turned into this huge, drawn out argument/discussion because she didn’t want to be wrong.
So I get it.
+1 to this comment EXACTLY what I think as well
I agree. She’s selling. There’s a lot of money sunk into these movies, so I’m skeptical about anything she says on those press tours – not only are they not the time or place to bring up criticism, but Lawrence seems too pragmatic to bad mouth her boss publicly like that. She says stupid stuff about everything else, but is pretty serious about her job
But I notice that O Russell doesn’t have anything in the pipeline…
God I hope it continues. Personally, I’m mystified with the mixed/bad reviews of “Joy”, because it was exactly like his other films.
As far as I’m concerned, “The Fighter” is a masterpiece, and the rest are meh……..if I’m gonna be generous. DOR’s dialogue sets my teeth on edge. Hammy, hammy, hammy OBVIOUS.
Good post.
He’s been a part of her career and awards for a long time, since she was very young, and I wonder if honestly she just doesn’t know any different yet. I wouldn’t be surprised if in some years she looks back, and realizes how abusive he was, and is sad she remained in that position when she didn’t need to.
Also, people need to let this Harvey Weinstein thing go. He produced ONE movie of the FOUR that she was nominated for. He had nothing to do with the huge Hunger Game franchise. And even if he did, it’s so sexist to assume a casting couch situation happened. He produces a lot of Tarantino movies, no one assumes Tarantino had to do anything gross for those. Or Christoph Waltz, who has been in several Weinstein produced films and won awards for them.
And even if a casting couch situation happened–why is it that SHE’S the whore, willing to do anything for her career…and he’s what? Oh his dick just accidentally fell out of his pants. PLEASE. Any sort of a casting couch situation for ANYONE–male or female–is a sexual assault/rape. Period.
Great post VC. I completely agree and have seen that situation play out so many times in my own career.
There’s a lot of people tearing down Jlaw for not staying away from DOR but she just got off a movie with him. What is she supposed to do during her Oscar run? Blame him for everything? Talk about the onset fights? She is in the business and she has to sell a movie. We have zero clue what goes on here and lets not forget that women have much less power and she is just as much of a victim as Amy. I don’t care if she “takes it”…she spent her entire filming in Joy in NYC away from set. That says a lot to me.
This took two years for Amy so before everyone runs to judge Jlaw lets not forget that she JUST worked with him and unfortunately its way easier for a male to burn a bridge than a female. People just love to hate on her but in a years time if she gives a similar statement I’ll bet she will get hate for “taking to long” or some BS like that
I understand this kind of comment, but i have to admit that Jlaw constant gushing towards DOR is frustrating,
Frustrating yes. But understandable to me. The fact that this is the first time she spent zero time on set when she didn’t have to said quite a bit
Please. She has huge power, she proved it when she talked about the pay inequality. She’s not inexperienced either, it’s her forth time working with him (?), so she knows him well and gives him a pass because he brings her nominations.
My old boss screamed at me an calling me a “f*cking c*nt” in the middle of a department meeting. I threw my binder at his head. He never raised his voice to me again, and gave me a glowing recommendation for my next job.
What I’m trying to say is, why has DOR not eaten a knuckle sandwich yet?
I posted something similar below. I’m not saying that it’s right (it clearly isn’t) but I think people like DOR, your old boss, my boss–they might be the type of people who push boundaries to see how strong someone is, to test their limits. My boss respects the push-back and backs down when I get in his face. I realize how unhealthy that dynamic is but maybe this is a possible silver lining (no pun intended)?
Rumor has it George Clooney landed a few when they filmed Three Kings eons ago.
A bully or abuser will usually only go after people who can’t, or won’t fight back. If someone risks their job, their reputation, or even their personal safety, by standing up to one sometimes that’s enough to send them off in search of an easier target. And sometimes it just makes things worse. That’s what makes this kind of behavior so insidious, and reprehensible, you never know what is coming next.
Huge, HUGE respect for Amy for speaking out about abuse. Not only is she a great professional actress but a courageous one too. I love how she speaks about life being more important than movies and that it’s not right with her for others to be abused.
I’ve lost respect for Jennifer Lawrence. Not only does she openly praise the jerk but it seems she knows and sees his abuse and yet does not call him on it, as far as we know.
Amy Adams just doesn’t really play the Hollywood game. And I kind of adore her for that. I also feel like she’s just hitting that point where she doesn’t give a f*** and I am here for that.
I wish he would go away. He is over-rated and a disgusting ass. I think alot of his mania may come from over-coke. I have seen him behind the scenes, and that crazy glint in his eye is impossible to miss.
I think that DOR is bipolar .
In some interviews,he explains he had some moments of depression in his life ( when he learnt his son was autist ,when he divorced)
His reaction to Lily’s reply .
Hmmmm…I have a really differing perspective on this. My boss is the DEFINITION of a workplace bully. We have the most solid EPLI policy here because so many people have walked out after reaching their breaking point with his bullsh*t.
As much as I can’t stand him, my interactions with him have made me tough as nails. I don’t back down, I fight for what I deserve in terms of salary and bonus, and I tell him to “F*ck off” (literally) when he pushes me. He’s an asswipe but the old man has taught me some sh*t.
I could see this as well. My friend is this way with her boss and they get into some blowouts. But she doesn’t let him push her around. Maybe Jen is this way and Amy isn’t (which is what her teflon comment was). Maybe thats why Bale wanted him to lay off Amy because he saw she couldn’t take it. But again it took amy two years to say anything so I wish people would stop pretending that she said something right away. She was quiet straight through awards season like everyone else because she played the game.
I think you have to bs really cautious though playing the game of “well maybe she just couldn’t take it.” It veers really closely into victim blaming. The truth is that abusers choose their targets carefully and it can be a really calculated thing. We really have no idea if David treated Amy and Jennifer the same way. What I can tell you is that I knew someone who worked on the AH set in Boston and it was well known that DOR was targeting Amy and berating her daily on top of the crew. Apparently, she did push back and yell back at him but he just continued the abuse. He publicly humiliated her and members of the crew. So be very care who about acting like Amy just “couldn’t take it.” Again, this is a guy with a long history of issues and even sexual assault allegations.
Kitten I get what you’re saying because I’ve been there but I also realized when I had the choice I would never work for or with people like that again. Because they do have subordinates and it is bullying. And I don’t want to be subjected to it or a witness. It’s already crossed a line when it’s verbal like that, and frankly should be reported to HR, and you never know how far it does go when you’re not there giving pushback. I’ve heard too many stories of how far things can go when bullies fond an appropriate target. There’s a huge difference between constructive criticism or negative feedback and a workplace where you are subjected to yelling, swearing and belittling. The latter just aren’t acceptable behaviors, especially in a professional environment.
Question is, when are we going to call out ALL the powerful bullies and misogynists in the industry publicly? DOR, Michael Bay, Weinstein, Woody Allen, etc are on pedestals, revered…When does that stop?
He’s soooo boring as a director. Too many quirks for the sake of it.
well, I’m glad this guy has been exposed for what he is. at least people know what Amy went through and commiserate with her.
I don’t think Jlaw will say anything, she always said good things on him during interviews and even defended him. Well, he did give her all those Oscars-noms movies to star in so.. I guess that’s what you’d expect from her.
Remember this? “David O. Russell is one of my closest friends and we have an amazing collaborative working relationship. I adore this man and he does not deserve this tabloid malarkey. This movie is going great and I’m having a blast making it!” that’s what she said, and even if she personally didn’t say it, I believe she thinks most of that.
Bale already did his share, I don’t think he’ll say anything because he’s generally a very private guy, but I think he’d do it.
This discussion shouldn’t be about Jlaw. She was 20-21 when she first worked with DOR. Its a bit odd that people expected her to stand up against DOR when a woman who is almost 20 years her senior can’t. If anything i sideye the older actors involved in his movies more, they have more comparable experiences and should know this isn’t the way it has to be. This focus on the youngest member of DORs casts strikes me as off.
Furthermore many actors work with problematic directors, Hiddleston worked with Woody Allen, Leo just worked with inarruti who is supposed to be an onset bully too, I don’t see them ever being called out for it. Theres also the fact that Cooper, Bale and Wahlberg worked with DO on more than one occasion, these men are seldom taken to task for this.
I wonder how much of it JLaw saw–towards Amy. She had a supporting role and only one section of the movie with her. She may not realize how bad it was or believe it 100% it because her experience was different. She was there for someof it because Amy commented on them handling it differently but maybe not the worst days.
the guy should go see a doctor and take some meds.
I have so much love and respect in my heart for amy adams,i even liked her small role in leo movie and their couple was cute too.
I hope she becomes meryl streep or something.
“Life to me is more important than movies.”
Thank you, Amy Adams. The amount of bull directors have gotten away with, and still get away with, in the name of “art” is disgusting. Not just directors either. Being an artist does not mean being an a*hole. There’s no excuse for it.